Kids in Cole Harbour could eventually go to a high school campus model, while some junior highs and elementaries would close if the school board agrees to the current school review options.

Hundreds of parents, kids, Halifax Regional School Board (HRSB) members, politicians and more came out to Cole Harbour High School on Wednesday night for the final public meeting of the Cole Harbour/Auburn Drive family review.

School Options Committee (SOC) co-chairs, Corrie Anderson and Shannon Parsons, outlined how the review was tackling under-utilization of the 17 schools, and suggested that Cole Harbour and Auburn Drive high schools should become one student body under a new name, with kids going back and forth between both buildings because they still have great infrastructure.

Grade 9s would be also moved into the campus model to maximize space and cut down on empty classrooms.

For the four junior highs, the SOC is recommending a Grade 7-8 configuration for Graham Creighton and Astral Drive, with both Sir Robert Borden and Ross Road’s junior high (it’s currently a P-9) being declared surplus and closing.

In looking at the schools, Parsons said Borden is at about 38 per cent student capacity and Ross Road only had about 100 junior high kids where Graham Creighton has had significant upgrades in recent years.

The SOC put forward three options to get more feedback on elementaries, since they are more complicated, Anderson said.

The first option would close Ross Road completely, with those students going to Bell Park/Atlantic View; a second would close Col. John Stuart with students going to George Bissett/Ross Road, with Robert Kemp Turner becoming a French Immersion site; and a third would be to close Ross Road with students going to Atlantic View/Colby Village, close Robert Kemp Turner with students going to Joseph Giles/George Bissett/ Humber Park, and George Bissett becomes an Early French Immersion site.

The SOC will now write up a final report to be sent to the HRSB by early June. The board has 60 days to bring it up for decision at a regular public meeting.